-Zach Berman

It was a warm, windy day in Columbia, and certainly a great one for the hometown Missouri Tigers, as they rode a strong offensive performance to defeat the visiting Gonzaga Bulldogs 2-0, in the first ever meeting between the two schools. 

With their first home victory of the 2018 campaign, Mizzou improves to 2-4-1, while Gonzaga fell to 3-2-1. 1,390 miles from their home in Spokane, Washington, Gonzaga looked sluggish on offense and only mustered 12 shots on goal, compared to Mizzou’s 20.

Mizzou was solid on the attack for most of the game, and seemed to have consistent control of the ball. While the attempts on Gonzaga’s net were piling up, Bulldog keeper Isabel Jones was stellar in the first half, keeping her team from getting blown out.

However, Mizzou just kept on pressuring, and eventually they broke through on a penalty kick goal from Madison Lewis in the 65th minute, the result of a Gonzaga handball in the box. Mizzou kept their foot on the gas from that point on, thwarting any comeback attempts from the Bulldogs. The offensive success for the Tigers was a welcome sight for the hometown fans (and team), as they had not scored since an August 19 tilt with Iowa State.

Mizzou didn’t stop at one, though. To finish the job, Bethany Coons hit the top left corner on an 82nd minute dart to deliver the final blow to Gonzaga. With the win, Mizzou picks up some momentum for conference play, which begins on Thursday, September 13th when the Kentucky Wildcats come to town. With the loss, Gonzaga looks to retain some strength before their September 13th match with Colorado State out in Fort Collins.